How to calculate solar panel efficiency?   Let us take the SAIL SOLAR 550W solar panel as an example and calculate the module efficiency. PV module power (Pmax in watts) ÷ PV module surface area in square meters = 550W / (2.279m * 1.134m) / 1000 =21.3%   What is solar cell efficiency? Solar cell efficiency refers to the energy efficiency with which a solar cell converts it into electricity through photovoltaic technology. Also take the SAIL SOLAR 550W as an example. SAIL SOLAR 550W is made of 182mm solar cell ( dimension: 182*91mm). 144cells. 550W/144=3.82W per cell 3.82W/(0.182m*0.091m)/1000= 23.1%   Why is there a difference between solar panel efficiency and solar cell efficiency? Compared to the example of the SAIL SOLAR 550W mentioned above, solar cell efficiency is 23.1%, while solar panel efficiency is 21.3%. The reason for this difference is that cell efficiency calculations refer to individual cell, while solar panel efficiency refers to the entire solar panel module. Some energy is lost due to the spacing between solar cells. Similarly, the bus bar on the solar panel is also covered on the surface of the cell. The thinner the bus bars, the less efficiency is lost to the solar panel. Moreover, the shadow of the bus bar on the cell will also affect the efficiency. For example, the thickness of the bus bar of a 5-bar solar cell is 0.4mm, while that of a 9-bar solar cell is 0.1mm. This also leads to a difference between solar panel efficiency and solar cell efficiency.   In fact, other raw materials used to produce solar panel, such as glass, EVA, junction boxes, etc., will also have a certain impact on efficiency.   Then, there's the "fill factor," often abbreviated as FF, which is a measure of how close a solar cell is to being an ideal light source. This is a key parameter for evaluating performance. It can be simply understood that this parameter is used to determine the maximum power from the solar cell.

Shadows should be paid attention to in the design and installation of photovoltaic power plants, and more attention should be paid to later operation and maintenance. For long-term operation of photovoltaic power generation systems, dust accumulation on panels has a great impact on power generation efficiency. The dust on the surface of the panel has the functions of reflecting, scattering and absorbing solar radiation, which can reduce the transmittance of the sun, resulting in a decrease in the solar radiation received by the panel, and the output power is also reduced, and its effect is proportional to the accumulated thickness of dust. Common shadows mainly include bird droppings, dust, tree shade, buildings, fallen leaves and branches, etc. At present, there are three cleaning methods for photovoltaics: human working, water wheel cleaning and robot cleaning. 1.      Characteristics of human working Hard to manage, inefficient, and long hours. The cleaning process affects power generation. The cleaning quality is difficult to guarantee, and there are safety risks and large losses in operation. 2. Water wheel cleaning The cleaning range is limited, and it is only suitable for ground power stations with sufficient space and free entry and exit of vehicles. It won't do anything with rooftop photovoltaic panels, desert power stations, or tightly packed power stations. 3. Robot cleaning Regular cleaning, significantly increased power generation, night work, no impact on power generation, more than 50 times more efficient than human working, self-powered, self-storage, no external energy, unattended, intelligent control, no water cleaning, no waste of water resources.